EASTER

Vol. IV
B. Herder, St. Louis, MO, 1816

Fr. Edward Jones
With Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat, 1916

Sermon XXVIII:
The Necessity of Prayer

"We ought always to pray, and not to faint."
-----LUKE 18, 1

. . . In prayer we learn to know God better, and we ourselves through intercourse with God are ennobled and become better. This truth would be sufficient of itself to convince us of the necessity of prayer, in order to know our destiny, to love and obey God, and thereby become happy in the possession of Him for eternity. But there is still a more convincing proof of this found in the teaching of Holy Scripture and the Fathers, namely that God has decreed from all eternity, in His Divine Providence many things for the salvation of men, which He will grant to them only through prayer. Divine Providence here observes a similar order to that which exists in the fruitfulness of the earth. The earth should bring forth fruit, but man must first cultivate the soil. Therefore, Jesus Christ says: "Ask and it shall be given you: seek and you shall find: knock and it shall be opened to you" [Matt. 7, 7].

Prayer is, as it were, the channel through which our Lord communicates to us His graces, comes to our assistance, and pours out His gifts. It is the ladder of the Patriarch Jacob which reaches from earth to Heaven, upon which the Angels ascend and descend, ascend in order to bring our prayers to the throne of God, as the Archangel Raphael said to the pious Tobias: "When thou didst pray with tears . . . I offered thy prayers to the Lord" [Tob. 12]; descend in order to bring to us the blessings of God. For this reason, the great Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine, calls prayer the key of Heaven, because it, in fact, not only opens the treasures of Divine grace, but also by means of this grace, makes possible our entrance into Heaven. But why should I say more, when Christ Himself in His indescribable love says: "Behold I stand before the door and knock. If anyone hear My voice and open the door I will enter in to him." God was therefore not satisfied to give us prayer as a powerful means; He Himself knocks at the door of our hearts, in order that He may compel us to pray to Him, and to come to us with His help and His grace. What else do these words mean: "I stand at the door and knock"? Whoever knocks on the door seeks admission. Although God is the Lord of our hearts, He allows it to our own will to grant to Him entrance or to refuse entrance to Him into our hearts, for He will not enter in by force. What else follows from this than the necessity of prayer, in order that Christ may enter into us with His grace, and assist us in our salvation? Whoever therefore does not pray refuses entrance to Christ. He does not seek or demand His help. But Our Divine Savior says: "Without Me you can do nothing," therefore, he who does not pray does not seek his salvation. From this we learn, why there are so many Christians who lead evil lives and meet with an evil end, precisely because they do not pray. I shall, therefore, today speak of the necessity of prayer, or in other words, that there is no salvation without prayer. God grant us His grace to see this, and after we have realized it to make use of prayer, in order that we may really share in grace and salvation.

O Jesus, assist us with Thy grace!

1. We have all experienced only too vividly, my beloved, the necessity of prayer. Who could count up all the evils that have come upon us in consequence of sin? Evils of body and of soul; sickness, hunger, poverty, misery of every kind; temptations that threaten the soul, enemies seeking its unhappiness, passions that disfigure it, and the greatest evil of all, sin, that drags it down to destruction. Who could bear these evils relying on his own powers alone, who could withstand sin? Whence should we seek help and grace to despise these evils, or rather in spite of them, to issue from the struggle of this life, crowned with the crown of victory, and then to enter upon the eternal reward of Heaven? Here we must, in truth, say with the Jewish king Josaphat : "O God . . . we have not strength enough to be able to resist this multitude, which cometh violently upon us. But as we know not what to do we can only turn our eyes to thee" (2 Par. 20, 12]. And how shall we turn our eyes to God for help, where we are unable to help ourselves, excepting by prayer? Wherefore, the holy Pope St. Celestine has said: "Is there a single hour when we are not in need of the help of God, in the many events and mishaps of life? And it would be an evidence of unbearable conceit in a man to expect to be self sufficient, to vanquish all with his own powers alone."

And it is for this very reason that God in His Providence has given to all men prayer, in order that they may help themselves. Children themselves would seem to teach us this since with their screaming or begging they try to move their mother, and in fact give her no rest until she helps them. So also, God gives to every one strength and power to pray, and excepts not even the greatest sinner from this privilege. "Whosoever asks, shall receive." Here indeed Divine Providence takes upon itself something that is everlasting, for as the number of men is countless so also are their needs and wants, countless are their demands, immeasurable their bodily and spiritual misery. Wherefore, Holy Scripture says that when we are filled with sadness at the disappointments of this life we should have recourse to prayer: "Cast all your cares upon Him, for He hath care of you." Rejoice therefore, ye poor! God is with you in your poverty; rejoice if you suffer the pangs of hunger, for God Who hears even the cry of the young raven, and gives all animals food in due season will not forget you; and you who are weakened by sickness, God pities you as a father pities his child. But in order that we might always have God's mercy, and that He should turn all things to good, either here on earth or in Heaven, He has given us prayer, for although He is always ready to help us, He desires nevertheless that we should ask for His help. Prayer is, therefore, necessary.

2. Of greater necessity than for our bodily wants is prayer for our spiritual wants. This necessity is so well established in the Gospel, that no Christian can deny it without jeopardizing the salvation of his soul. It is very evident from the necessity of grace, which as you all know and our faith teaches us, is necessary for salvation for without it no one can perform works meritorious for eternal life. Hence Christ says: "Without Me you can do nothing," yes not even have a meritorious thought, and St. Paul says: "Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves: but our sufficiency is from God" [2 Cor. 3, 5]. But how do we receive this grace and this aptitude which God is not obliged to give us, without our asking for it? Christ gives the answer: "Ask and you shall receive." Therefore, without prayer, there is no grace, and without grace no salvation. Hence, without prayer, there is no salvation. Prayer is necessary for our salvation.

And of course, we must first perform good works, live virtuously, observe the Commandments of God, before we can hope for bliss. Only the laborer who has worked the whole day, receives in the evening his reward, and only the Christian who has lived in the service of the Lord, receives at the end of life, his reward in Heaven. Hence Christ says: "Not every one who says to Me Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in Heaven, he will enter into the kingdom of Heaven."

Therefore, the Prince of the Apostles, St. Peter, says to the faithful: "Seek to make your calling [to bliss] sure by good works." These good works, however, are the observance of the Commandments of God, the fulfillment of the duties of our state of life, such as mercy, moderation, chastity, patience, love of our neighbor, and other good works. But whence do we receive the strength to practice these good works or to appropriate them? From ourselves perhaps? But Christ answers: "Without Me you can do nothing." And St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, says: "Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." We need grace, and without grace we can do nothing for the salvation of our soul. How can we obtain it? Our Divine Savior again answers: "Ask and you shall receive; you must pray always and never faint."

Prayer is, therefore, necessary, in order to observe the Commandments of God, to fulfill the duties of our state of life and to acquire and practice virtues. Yes, my beloved, we must ask God for the spirit of enlightenment, in order that we may know the way of salvation; we must ask God for the spirit of strength, in order to resist the inclinations of our fallen nature, to overcome the world and the devil; the spirit of penance, in order to purify ourselves from sin; the spirit of submission, in the contradictions and vicissitudes of this life, in order that through penance we may make them meritorious; in a word, we must ask for the spirit of sanctity, in order to live and die as true Christians. By prayer, faith is increased, hope is strengthened, and charity is enkindled. All virtues are gradually acquired through prayer. This is so true that the Fathers teach: "Whoever knows how to pray well, knows how to live well." For here the grace of God enters in, and the Christian, elevated and borne up by the grace of God, can do all things. Hence St. Paul says: "I can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth me." How many passions that have crept into the heart from the time of youth on, does not the Christian have to contend with? How many temptations torment him? How many difficulties must he not overcome? How frequently is it most difficult for him to observe the Commandments of God? Can he do everything of his own strength? Our Savior answers: "Without Me you can do nothing." Hence He admonishes us: "Ask and you shall receive." Prayer is therefore necessary, for without prayer there is no grace, without grace there are no good works, and without good works there is no salvation, and therefore, without prayer there is no salvation.

How often is one exposed to manifold temptations to sin, even if one were the holiest of mortals and adorned with every grace, in consequence of fallen nature, or by the bad example of wicked men! The Book of Wisdom says: "My child, if you wish to live piously, prepare thy soul for temptations." How can one resist them and, therefore, avoid sin and escape damnation? Or should God deliver one over to so many temptations, from within and without, which one should suffer without any help! To this Our Divine Savior says: "Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation." Prayer is, therefore, the weapon of the Christian, whereby he can overcome every temptation, and even make them meritorious for eternal life, and change them into pearls of the Heavenly crown. Prayer is, therefore, necessary to overcome temptation.

3. Who assures you, my beloved, who assures you that you will be constant in good and persevere unto the end? For only he who has steadfastly persevered, says Jesus Christ, shall be saved. O perseverance! This is a word suited to fill us with joy or with terror. In this one word, I find the end of all evil and the eternal possession of all good. Should I not strive in every way to acquire such a precious grace and leave nothing untried in order to obtain possession of it? But what am I saying? Precisely this most important of all virtues we cannot merit by all our good works! But thanks be to God, there still remains a means by which we can assure ourselves of perseverance in good until we draw the last breath of our life, even though we cannot merit it. And this means is prayer. The great Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine, assures us that the grace of perseverance can be attained by prayer: "The Saints, what else did they ask for, than that they might persevere in holiness?" And in another place he adds: "It is an established fact that God has prepared some things for those who do not pray for them, as the beginning of faith, and some things only for those who do pray for them, as perseverance unto the end." Prayer is, therefore, necessary for salvation and without prayer there is no salvation.

"Ask and you shall receive," this is the law for us, prescribed by Our Divine Savior; this is the oracle of eternal life, the key of Heaven, the ladder on which we ascend to the throne of God. It is the word of Christ, which no one can call into question, for God has attached His grace to prayer, and no one can hope for salvation who does not fulfill the conditions upon which salvation depends. Prayer is the channel through which our Lord communicates His grace to us; it is the bond which unites man to God, and which brings down God's blessing upon us; it is the weapon of the Christian, and as little as a soldier can conquer without weapons, so little can a Christian without prayer obtain victory over the enemies of his salvation. Prayer is to the soul what natural warmth is to the body. Through its natural heat, the body is protected from sickness; it preserves strength and drives the good blood through the arteries, and separates the bad. Thus prayer protects the soul from sickness, and preserves it through the life of grace. Prayer is necessary for salvation.

St. Augustine says: "I believe that it is evident to all, that it is simply impossible without the help of prayer to live virtuously, and to end life virtuously." And St. Augustine adds: " We believe that nobody attains to bliss but those whom God has called thereto; that nobody who is called, can obtain salvation without the assistance of God, and that this assistance is given only in consequence of prayer." And we have indeed seen that prayer is not only necessary to bear temporal miseries with patience, and to enable us to change them into merits for Heaven, not only that without prayer there is no grace, without grace no good works, no virtues, no resistance to temptations, no perseverance in good till the end of life is possible, but also that prayer is the ladder on which we ascend to Heaven; the channel through which Divine grace flows into our souls, the bond that unites us with God, the weapon that protects us, and the command of Jesus which we must obey. So now, it must become clear and evident to us at a glance, why it is that so many Christians perform no good works, possess no virtues, cannot resist their passions, and fall from temptation into temptation, and from sin into sin. Why? Because they no longer pray. They despise prayer and cast it aside. They arise in the morning without casting a grateful look towards Heaven that has preserved them through the night. Without imploring the blessing of God, without offering up their actions to Him and without asking Him for His assistance, they go through the day. They spend the day without prayer, and without a prayer betake themselves to rest. They do not know that the words of Holy Scripture could also resound in their ears: "Thou fool, this very night thy soul shall be demanded of thee!"

4. Our prayer must ascend to God in order that His mercy may descend to us. In whatever state you may be, if you cease to ask God for His grace and His protection, there remains nothing else in which you can place your confidence, and nothing else can supply the loss you suffer. For the one who does not pray the springs of grace are dried up, the channel is contaminated, the warmth of the soul is driven away by the bitter coldness of uncharitableness and ingratitude towards God, and the soul is become as the earth without water, which no beneficent rain fructifies. The living faith dies in the one who does not pray; glad hope disappears, and love grows cold. He is no longer animated with patience, meekness, zeal, to merit a reward in Heaven or to escape the punishment of Hell. Peace and joy and justice have died out in his soul. The joyful and sublime consciousness of being in the state of grace has for him no attraction. In its place avarice, the desire for pleasures, and unbridled passions have celebrated their entrance, so far do these keep him away from Thee, O God, Who does not take refuge to Thee, Who alone could bridle these unholy passions.

O my Christians, what will it mean to have gone through life without prayer! The harmony of Christian life is destroyed; the bond that held it together is rent asunder; and the edifice is demolished. Even though, as men, you are alive and well, as Christians, you are dead. The kingdom of grace is for you almost at an end; the star of your hope for eternal happiness is no longer before you; the thought of God is no longer a joy to your soul, and the innocence of former happy days has disappeared. Everything is hardened, cold and dead!

Do not believe, my Christians, that prayer is such a hard and disagreeable duty. No, the amiable Providence of God has ordained that prayer should be just as agreeable and inviting as it is necessary. And here, too, the grace of God assists; the Holy Ghost guides our speech and helps us in our weakness. Therefore, what else is the condition of those who recognize this duty towards God, a duty of obedience and gratitude and love? Here they learn to know God Whose children they are; they carry on with Him the most confidential intercourse; they reveal to Him all their needs and sufferings, and what they ask of Him He grants; and what the most eloquent speech could not express their heart can do, for it is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Yes, they have become the true temple of God, in which daily almost hourly amiable holocausts ascend to God, while His Divine Presence fills them with peace, joy and justice. And if tribulations, sufferings and persecutions overtake them, they have a powerful refuge in prayer. The sufferings which they must endure are multiplied a hundred-fold by grace and a future reward. And if temptations from within and from without attack them, neither the temptations nor the world nor their own evil inclinations can overcome them, for they possess a powerful weapon against them, the weapon of prayer. "Will you know-----says St. Chrysostom,-----what prayer is? Friendship cannot accomplish as much with God as does prayer." And even if they have here and there fallen into sin, they have prayer whereby to raise themselves. Their prayers ascend to God, and His mercy descends to them.

Therefore, my beloved, I will conclude with the words of Our Divine Savior: "We ought always to pray and not to faint," precisely because prayer is so necessary for salvation. Who amongst you, therefore, could be unmindful of his eternal salvation? Oh hasten to Him, to the God of mercy and all consolation ! Cast all your cares upon Him, for He will bear them for you! Behold Christ in His gentle mildness says also to you: "Behold I stand at the door and knock. And if anyone hear My voice and open the door to Me I will enter in to him." Will you perhaps permit Him to stay outside and wait in vain? Impossible! Therefore ask Him frequently to come to you with His grace and His peace and blessing, and to fill your soul with them. Then you can say with St. Paul: "I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me."

Then the time will come, when you will knock at the portal of Heaven, and rest assured that, if you have not driven Jesus from the portal of your hearts here on earth, He will not drive you from the portal of Heaven.

He will open it to you, and you will enter into Heaven, into our eternal abode. Amen.

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